Life of a Ninja: Renascence
by Tempestas D. Uzu
Summary: AU: When he died to end the war, Senju Tobirama didn't have any regrets. As he closed his eyes, finally succumbing to his multiple injuries, the Nidaime Hokage was happy... But Fate just loved to mess with him. Forty years later, Senju Tobirama opened his eyes once more. (fem!Naru[Nagisa],reborn!Tobirama,NagiTobi)
1. Preface 1: Reawakening

**Life of a Ninja: Renascence**

**1\. Preface: Reawakening**

_**re·a·wak·en/ˌrēəˈwākən/**_

_**verb**_

_**(with reference to a feeling or state) emerge or cause to emerge again; awaken again**_

When he died to end the war, Senju Tobirama didn't have any regrets. He had lived his 31 years to the fullest, he had protected the village his brother had fought so hard to make and left it in the hands of his beloved student.

As he closed his eyes, finally succumbing to his multiple injuries, the Nidaime Hokage was happy. He would see his brothers again, just like he said he would.

When he died, Senju Tobirama didn't expect to open his eyes again...

But Fate just loved to fuck with him, didn't it.

-((-))-

**Years Later...**

A blonde woman heaved violently as her inner muscles constricted in an attempt to remove the foreign object.

"One more push, Tsunade-hime!" The midwife called over the woman's cries of pain, "I can see the head!"

Tsunade cursed herself for getting drunk that night, she cursed Orochimaru for betraying the village, and most of all, she cursed Jiriya for doing this to her.

"Goddamnit! I'll fucking castrate that bastard!"

Then the blissful sounds of a wailing infant replaced the woman's screams.

"Congratulations Tsunade-hime, it's a boy."

Tsunade panted, hair knotted and face coated in sweat as she took the now quiet baby into her arms.

Pale silver wisps of hair covered the baby's head, the face was pale for an infant, but hinted towards an ivory complexion.

As she stared down at the baby, his face scrunched up and eyes fluttered open. Tsunade choked on a gasp.

They were a pale shade of red, even just after birth. Just like her Great-Uncle's had been.

Couple with his pale hair and skin, the little baby in her arms was a near carbon copy of her late uncle.

"Tobirama..." She muttered, cradling the tiny life to her chest. "You are Senju Tobirama."

-((-))-

Tsunade stared at her former sensei, her little Tobi, only two months old, cradled in her arms.

"So this is where you have been this past year." Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered, eyes locked solely on his student and the little white haired baby.

"Tsunade-san?" Minato looked shell-shocked, "Is that-"

"My son. Senju Tobirama."

Hiruzen choked in surprise, spluttering as he coughed to dislodge the pipe smoke that had gotten caught.

The baby's pale red eyes blinked open and stared at the old man as if scolding him for waking him from his sleep.

Hiruzen stared. "The resemblance is uncanny..."

Minato looked faintly amused, finally snapping from his shock. "I imagine it will be more so when he's older." He grinned slightly, blue eyes glimmering slightly at the adorable face the baby made as he looked around.

Tsunade nodded in agreement, "That's why I'm here... I'm leaving Konoha, taking Shizune with me to train her." She looked down at her baby boy, "And I can't take him with me."

"What?" Hiruzen was once again flabbergasted. "What do you mean by that, Tsunade?"

"I'm sorry Sensei... But Konoha holds too many memories." Tsunade explained, "Orochimaru was the last straw. And the road is no place for a baby. Especially the baby of two sannin."

Minato's head snapped up, eyes widening "Sannin? Sensei is-"

"Yes." She cringed slightly, "And he has no idea... It needs to stay that way." The blonde turned back to her teacher. "I want you to look after him for me." She stepped forward and placed to quiet babe in the elderly man's arms, honey eyes staring down at her baby, as she placed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

Forcing herself not to cry, Tsunade stepped back. "He's not very loud, barely ever makes a sound." She informed them, voice slightly choked.

"Tsunade..."

She turned her head away, blinking back the tears that want to fall. "I'm sorry, Sensei. I don't plan on coming back."

Then she was gone, leaving two men and a baby staring after her.

-((-))-

When he died, he definitely didn't expect to wake up again. But it would seem that Fate had made a different decision.

For one moment, he had closed his eyes, welcoming death with open arms as the rain spattered across his pale face, the ground around him dyed with blood and the fallen bodies of his foes. And then the next, he was opening them once again, finding himself staring at the sweaty face of a blonde woman with honey-brown eyes.

_"Tobirama... You are Senju Tobirama."_

The former Nidaime Hokage cursed his luck, because he was pretty sure this wasn't what the afterlife was supposed to be like.

Where was Hashirama-oniisan?

Where was Kawarama? Itama?

Why was he staring at what seemed to be an older version of his great niece?

The woman smiled down at him, cradling him to her chest. "My beautiful baby boy..."

Well, _fuck._

Why couldn't he be normal for once and just stayed dead, damnit.

* * *

_**So, I'd like everyone to be aware that this is merely a preview of a story I'm thinking of doing in the future. I posted it to see what everyone thinks of it and to see if it was worth working on. If you notice any mistakes or things you don't find right please review about it, it will help me. But no flames please, my confidence in my writing isn't very high and flames make me question wether or not it's worth posting stories.  
**_

_**So please review with any thoughts you have on this story, as I'm thinking of posting it when I finish the first arc of Shinku Kyofu.**_

_**Thanks a lot,**_

_**Tempestas D. Uzu**_


	2. Preface 2: Development

**Life of a Ninja: Renascence**

**2\. Preface 2: Development**

_**de·vel·op·ment/dəˈveləpmənt/**_

_**noun**_

_**the process of developing or being developed**_

* * *

To others, those who watched him grow, Senju Tobirama was an odd child. With his spiked silvery-white hair, dull red eyed, and stoic face. He looked like the Nadaime Hokage, had the same name as the Nadaime Hokage, and he was a Senju, a clan they believed had only one member left.

They thought he was too quiet, too intelligent, too shrewd for his age. Children avoided him, adults didn't know what to do with him.

Not that this bothered him, Tobirama didn't care. He was still mulling over the situation he had found himself in.

He had been reincarnated.

As his own great-great nephew.

And he was six.

How the _HELL_ did that work?

His six year old body was pathetically weak; he had no clan to train him from birth this time, and he had no excess to any training grounds. His chakra control had been shot to hell, he could barely preform a D-rank jutsu and any thought of trying a C-rank?

Nope, not a chance.

He visited the Senju complex whenever he had the chance, going through scrolls and books as he tried to understand what had happened in the forty years he had been dead.

His research had led him to discover that the Shinju clan was all but extinct, and the Uzumaki clan had been wiped from the face of the earth. There had been another war after his death, longer and worse than the ones before with even more casualties.

Then he discovered Uzumaki Nagisa, the only person left baring the name 'Uzumaki'. Her files had been blacked out, everything was suspiciously blank, and it didn't take long for him to discover why...

The adults of the village hated her, her birthday was October 10 - the same day as the Kyuubi attack - plus the fact that she was an Uzumaki and contained a ridiculous amount of chakra for six year old.

She was the new jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

He remembered seeing her around the orphanage as his new body grew, she had been a tiny thing craving for attention, with sun-kissed skin, golden-blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and three whisker-like marks on each cheek, complete with a face that could have made Hashirama-oniisan melt.

And she had vanished from the orphanage a month ago, none of the nurses talked about her, none of the children even thought about her.

It was like she had ceased to exist.

But here he was, staring at the small girl with blonde hair as she dug through the trashcans, covered in dirt and grime and who knows what else.

"What are you doing?" He asked, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the alley wall.

The girl let out a shriek of alarm, tumbling backwards onto the ground, blue eyes turning to him in alarm.

He felt almost guilty when she curled into a ball in an attempt to hide herself, possibly in an attempt to protect her vitals from blows.

"Calm yourself. I'm not here to harm you." She uncurled slightly at his words and peered at him with big blue eyes. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded furiously and Tobirama's lips twitched slightly. "I can get you some food and a bath. Would you come with me for it?"

She definitely needed a bath. And a change of clothes. Compared to his clean sandals, black cargo shorts, and blue hooded vest, her clothes were barely visible under all the layers of mud caked on her body.

"My name is Senju Tobirama. I'm going to help you." He held out a single hand, pale red eyes boring into her bright blue ones.

With a hesitant nod, Uzumaki Nagisa moved towards him, her tiny hand slid into his and she nodded again, allowing herself to be led away from the darkness of the alley.

-((-))-

Unbeknownst to the two children, Fate smiled.

This was exactly why she had chosen Senju Tobirama to be reborn, something she rarely ever granted to anyone.

Uzumaki-Namikaze Nagisa needed Senju Tobirama to lead her back into the Light. To give her the love she so desperately craved; the love she needed to stay sane.

Senju Tobirama needed Uzumaki-Namikaze Nagisa to show him what it really meant to live. She would give him the childhood he was denied, and the love he had never found.

Their souls and fates were intertwined; Uzumaki-Namikaze Nagisa needed Senju Tobirama, and Senju Tobirama needed Uzumaki-Namikaze Nagisa.

-((-))-

As he waited for the rice to finish, Tobirama listened to the sound of splashing water originating down the hall.

His face was drawn and eyes downcast as he pondered what was going on. When he had entered the washroom to bring Nagisa a pair of clean clothes, Tobirama had caught sight of the blonde's back, which was covered in injures, old and new. Some healing and some were nothing but faded scars.

Tobirama recognized the worst of them; kunai wounds.

What was a five year old girl doing with kunai wounds?

He was pulled from his thoughts by the water turning off and a few moments later the Uzumaki girl trotted into the dining room.

She looked a lot better now that she was clean, wearing a pair of his old clothes consisting of a dark blue turtleneck, rolled up several times so her hands were visible, and a pair of dark cargo shorts long enough to reach her calves. Her feet were bare and her blonde hair tumbled down her back in a knotted mess as she tried to wrestle a comb through it.

Tobirama let out a faint huff of laughter as she struggled and he moved forward, gently plucking the comb from her hands and, seating her at the table, he brushed through her long golden hair. He remembered doing this for Hashirama quite a few times, after he had grown his hair out his older brother had discovered that it needed to be brushed a lot, but, being the idiot he was, he always forgot to do so, or was simply too tired to attempt it.

"Why're you helping me?"

Shoving himself from his thoughts, as it would do no good to dwell on the past, Tobirama turned his attention back to the young girl seated in front of him.

"Because you needed help." The silver haired boy said simply, fingers carding through Nagisa's hair as he braided it and tied it at the end with a ribbon. "And when someone needs help, you help them."

Something he learned from his brother...

Nagisa stared at him, eyes wide and filled with awe and surprise, and Tobirama couldn't help but wonder just how many people had mistreated this little girl for her to act this way... So surprised when people offered her help.

"Have you ever had anyone help you before?" Tobirama asked skeptically, for his own selfish wish to find out if there had been anyone in the village he had given his life for that had even tried to help her.

She hesitated for a moment, mulling it over. "Inu-san, he saves me from the bad people. But he's not always around... The ramen man gives me food... Hokage-jiji visited me in the orphanage, but I haven't seen him for a bit... And Tobi-kun helped me too!"

So only three people had ever helped her, four if he counted himself.

Konoha had definitely screwed up when it came to this little girl.

_Wait-_"Tobi-kun?" He hadn't heard that nickname since his brother died...

Nagisa blushed, tugging on her braid as she averted her eyes. "I'm sorry... Does it make you angry when I call you Tobi-kun?"

Tobirama stared at her slumped shoulders and sad eyes before he sighed. "No, it's fine. You can call me Tobi... _Nagi-chan_."

He blinked. Where had that pet name come from? Was he somehow channeling Hashirama and idiosyncrasies? (He skillfully ignored the fact that, he too, had the habit of giving people he found himself caring for pet-names). But looking at the beaming smile that had stretched across Nagisa's face, Tobirama couldn't bring himself to regret it.

And, as it would turn out, he never would, because it was that day that that sunny little girl with the blonde hair, and eyes as bright as the sky, would become his whole world.

* * *

_**So, because of the high demand of continuing this story (I mean, wow. 16 comments telling me to continue, and in only 3 days too...), I decided to give you guys a little slack. Here's the second part of the preface. Next up comes the Graduation Exam and Mizuki(traitorous little bastard). I'm going to split my attention between Shinku Kyofu and LoaN:R, so I'm not really going to have a set update scheduled. When the chapter is finished, it's going to be posted.  
**_

_**Hope this is okay, I'm not very good at writing children, so things may seem OOC.**_

_**Warning: Nagisa is going to act OOC, she's not Naruto and she doesn't need the attention Naruto craves, she's perfectly happy with Tobi (her precious person). I'm going to follow cannon as well as I can, and I'm actually going to have Kakashi have more of an active part of Nagisa's genin years, he's not going to abandon her for Sasuke all the time like he did in cannon part 1 (seriously, though. What is with that?).**_

_**There's going to be a bit of Sakura!bashing, apologies to those who like her, but she's not going to be a big part of the story. She's not part of Team 7, and therefore is on one of the teams that failed. Sasuke's a little angst-y and will probably get punched in the face by Tobi when he finally gets tired of the Uchiha's bitching and insults toward Nagisa. Little Nagi-chan is going to be completely oblivious and Kakashi doesn't know what to do with them.**_

_**Thanks for the support!**_

_**Tempestas D. Uzu**_

_**UPDATE:**_

_**I got a comment asking if Kakashi will be like a big brother figure, and being protective of lil'Nagi. Personally I like the idea, I always have. So, yes, we will see a protective!big brother!Kakashi in the near future.**_

_**Team 7 will be made of two grumpy little boys who can't stand each other, a little ball of sunshine, and a sensei that just wants to hit his head against a wall (repetitively).**_

_**I've had some people asking about how Tobi and Nagi are the same age, and how Tobi was born while Minato was still alive... So I've made some profile-thingies**_

_**...**_

_**Uzumaki(-Namikaze) Nagisa**_

_**Age: 5-6**_

_**Birthday: October 10**_

_**Hair: Gold-Blonde**_

_**Eyes: Blue**_

_**Height: 3ft 3in**_

_**Father: Namikaze Minato (D)**_

_**Mother: Uzumaki Kushina (D)**_

_**...**_

_**...**_

_**...**_

_**Senju Tobirama**_

_**Age: 6**_

_**Birthday: February 18**_

_**Hair: Pale Silver**_

_**Eyes: Pale Red**_

_**Height: 3ft 8in**_

_**Father: Jiraiya**_

_**Mother: Senju Tsunade**_


	3. Commencement

**Life of a Ninja: Renascence**

**3\. Commencement**

_**/kəˈmensmənt/**_

_**noun**_

_**a beginning or start.**_

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, looked at the jounin gathered before him. "As you all know, it's that time of year once more."

Jonins groaned, shifting as if they wanted to make a break for it.

"It's time to create this year's genin squads." He eyed the shinobi shrewdly, and not at all sympathetic of their plights. "This years teams will be the following." The old man held out a scroll for his jounin to read.

**Team 1**

**Sensei: Hamaki Mimura**

**Haruno Sakura - F**

**Kunugi Shirou - M**

**Akashi Takeshi - M**

**Team 2**

**Team 3**

**Sensei: Saito Yumi**

**Nanako Yuu - M**

**Takahashi Masami - F**

**Kita Haruto - M**

**Team 4**

**Sensei: Aburame Gorou**

**Kuroo Kenma - M**

**Maki Saburo - M**

**Akiyama Saki - F**

**Team 5**

**Team 6**

**Team 7**

**Sensei: Hatake Kakashi**

**Uchiha Sasuke - M**

**Senju Tobirama - M**

**Uzumaki Nagisa - F**

**Team 8**

**Sensei: Yuhi Kurenai**

**Inuzuka Kiba - M**

**Hyuuga Hinata - F**

**Aburame Shino - M**

**Team 9**

**Team 10**

**Sensei: Sarutobi Asuma**

**Nara Shikamaru - M**

**Yamanaka Ino - F**

**Akimichi Choji - M**

Quite a few jounin cheered when they realized that they weren't chosen this year, and some groaned in dismay when they found their names on the Scroll of Doom (as dubbed by the jounin).

"Now," Sarutobi peered at the gathered shinobi, "any questions?"

"When did Uzumaki pass, Hokge-sama? The records originally said that she failed." One jounin asked.

"Ah, yes." The Sandaime mused, "But Uzumaki Nagisa's test was designed by Toji Mizuki so that she would fail. He knowingly gave her, not the Graduation written exam, but the Chunnin one. He disrupted her already fragile chakra control during her Ninjutsu exam, causing her bushin no jutsu to backfire." He eyed his soldiers darkly. "And then he proceeded to give her false hopes by offering her a chance to graduate along side her friends if she brought him the Forbidden Scroll. After successfully breaking into the Hokage library, and evading those hunting her down, she was found by Umino Iruka, and explained to him that Toji told her that if she managed to bring him the Scroll, he would allow her to graduate. He then attacked both Umino-sensei, and young Nagisa-chan with the intent to kill. He revealed an S-rank secret, and admitted to working for Orochimaru. After severely injuring Umino-sensei, he was defeated by Nagisa when she spanned over a thousand kage-bushin." The jounin were shocked into silence, and Hiruzen nodded before continuing. "Both Umino-sensei and I agreed that Nagisa-chan deserved her hitai-ate after such a feat. Anymore questions?"

There were none.

"Then you are dismissed." He turned to a tall silver-haired man, "Kakashi, stay behind please."

When it was only the two of them, Hiruzen offered Kakashi a small apologetic smile. "I know you expressed a desire to not be Sasuke's sensei. However, the counsel over-ruled me. In their eyes, you are the only one capable of teaching him to use his sharingan if he awakens it."

"In all due respect, Sandaime-sama." Kakashi said, "Uchiha Sasuke is a spoiled, pampered little boy, with a superiority complex the size of the nation. I have no patience to teach a boy who believes he deserves anything he wants, and someone who thinks he has no need for teammates." The younger man's only visible eye narrowed. "Did you know that the counsel ordered me to teach only the Uchiha? He's a flight risk, and they want me to give him all the power he wants. Once a better offer comes along, he's going to leave. His attitude will only succeed in dragging his teammates down."

Hiruzen sighed, "I'm sorry, Kakashi, but you will have to put up with him. But, if it's any consolation, I have, as promised, assigned Nagisa-chan to your squad..."

-((Flashback))-

**_12 Years Ago, October 30_**

_Hiruzen stared down at the broken boy in front of him who was trying so hard to keep himself together... _So much suffering for one so young..._ "I'm sorry, Kakashi-kun. But I cannot allow you to raise her."_

_The fourteen year old clutched the tiny bundle tighter to his chest, "Please, Hokage-sama! She's all I have left!" He pleaded._

_"No." Hiruzen stated firmly. "Both Minato-kun, and Kushina had many enemies, some who would use Nagisa to their own ambitions, she would be become a target for those who hated her parents. How would it look if you, his only remaining student, one he considered a son, suddenly became the guardian of a young blonde-haired, blue-eyed child?"_

_Kakashi's shoulders slumped, his only visible eye becoming misty as he stared down at the slumbering babe in his arms. "If... if you won't let me raise her... then would you let me become her jounin sensei when she graduates?"_

_Sarutobi Hiruzen felt so old as he eyed the young boy's defeated slump to his normally proud shoulders, the deep bags under his only visible eye, and deep within him he knew that his decision to keep Nagisa's heritage a secret was unfair to this child who had seen too much, lost too much, to bare. And he couldn't help but feel that if he denied Kakashi this request, it would break whatever spirit the boy had left._

_He made his decision._

_He said yes._

-((Flashback))-

"Senju Tobirama is, in all aspects, a genius." Hiruzen continued, "He seems aloof, but he is Nagisa's sole friend, their teamwork is flawless. It would be foolish to split the two of them."

"An Uzumaki, Senju, and Uchiha." Kakashi deadpanned, "On the same team. I'm going to die..."

Sarutobi only smiled.

-((-))-

"Where is he?!"

Tobirama looked up from his ninjutsu scroll as Nagisa released a shriek of frustration, tugging on her golden pigtails with an almost crazed look in her blue eyes. "Nagi-chan," He sighed in exasperation, "Calm yourself."

"I _am_ calm! I am _perfectly_ calm! That bastard of a sensei is late!" She scouted again. "Three hours late, Tobi! _Three hours_!" She spat.

Tobirama sighed once more, before studying his Uzumaki. The blonde had definitely grown since the day he had found her in that alley, she was still short for her age, a result of the malnutrition she had gone through before he had found her. In her black qipao-styled long-sleeve shirt, burnt orange apron skirt over a pair of black shorts, wearing knee-length black stockings and ninja sandals; she no longer looked like a drowned street rat, but a respectable kunoichi-in-training.

He himself had changed over the years. He had decided against the armor he had worn in his first life, as if would only slow him down in the modern shinobi battles; so instead he wore a blue vest with a fur-lined hood over a black short-sleeved top, and 3/4-length fishnet shirt, and black shinobi-styled pants tucked into his sandals using bandages, and a training katana slung across his back (he'd swap it for a regular katana when he was taller). Much like in his first life, Tobirama was a little shorter than average, but he would probably shoot upwards once he began puberty. (He shivered at the thought - going through puberty was horrible enough the first time, now he had to do it _again_?)

"Being angry about it isn't going to change anything, Nagi." Tobirama told her,

"Shut up, dobe." The Uchiha finally brought himself out of his brooding, only to insult the blonde Uzumaki.

"What did you just call her, _Uchiha_?" The silver-haired boy snarled,

Sasuke sneered, "You heard me, _Senju_."

"Sasuke-teme! Tobi-kun! Both of you, stop it!" Nagisa admonished, crossing her arms over her chest as the two boys glared at each other, metaphorical lightning sparking between them.

That was the sight that greeted Hatake Kakashi when he slid the door open.

Nagisa wheeled around, glaring at him with a rather adorable glare/pout combination, pointing at him accusingly, "YOU'RE LATE!"

Tobirama turned from his glaring match with 'The Last Uchiha', to pin the silver-haired jounin with his own (admittedly much scarier) glare.

Sasuke merely scoffed, and went back to his brooding.

Kakashi cast a lazy glace across his three maybe-students, hands stuffed in his pockets and shoulders slumped in the perfect show of_ 'I-have-better-places-to-be'_. "My first impression of you... I hate you. Meet me on the roof in five minutes." And he was gone in a puff of smoke.

-((-))-

Hatake Kakashi studied the three children in front of him, the perfect picture of nonchalance. Senju Tobirama and his sensei's daughter sat together, both pairs of eyes, one pale red and the other azure blue, locked onto him, while the Uchiha-brat sat as far away from them as possible, his usual brooding-scowl on his face.

"So then," Kakashi said cheerfully, "let's learn a little bit about each other. Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future; the like."

"Why don't you go first, sensei?" Nagisa piped up,

He eye-smiled "Hmm... I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate? I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future? Never thought about it. As for my hobbies... I have lots of hobbies."

His adorable little genin sweat-dropped.

"Alight, Emo. Your turn."

Sasuke glared (rather pathetic compared to many of the others he'd seen in his life), "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate lots of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain sombody."

I knew it, Kakashi thought. He'll do anything for the power to kill his brother. "Girly, you're next."

Nagisa grinned, a smile reminiscent of his deceased sensei that made his heart ache, "I'm Uzumaki Nagisa!" She chirped brightly, "I like Tobi-kun, training, cooking, and fuinjutsu! I dislike arrogant jerks and people who look down on others. My hobbies are training with Tobi-kun, learning new seals, among other things! My dream is to be Hokage!"

Kakashi smiled gently, it was scary how alike Nagisa was to her parents. "Now you go, _Tobi-kun_."

Tobirama frowned slightly at his use of the nickname the Uzumaki bestowed upon him. "I am Senju Tobirama. I have very little things I like, and I don't feel like going into detail with current company." He glared venomously at the dark-haired Uchiha.

"Tobi..." Nagisa admonished, causing Tobirama to huff.

"Fine. I like the village, _my_ Uzumaki," He scowled pointedly at Sasuke, as if banning him from coming anywhere near the blonde beside him, "ninjutsu, and kenjutsu. I dislike those who are arrogant, and those who insult what is _mine._ My hobbies include training, and reading. I don't currently have a dream." He tugged Nagisa closer to him, tucking the oblivious blonde against his side as he shot another glare at Sasuke, a glare that was readily returned.

Kakashi sweat-dropped.

Now he knew why Minato-sensei would run in the opposite direction whenever he saw his own team approaching out of training sessions.

_Kami have mercy..._

* * *

**_Yay! New chapter! :D I'm so proud of myself. Hope you enjoyed it!  
_**

**_Please review with any thoughts or comments, if you see any spelling mistakes please inform me, as I have no beta reader. No flames though._**

**_Tempestas D. Uzu_**

**_..._**

**_..._**

**_..._**

**_TEAM 7:_**

**_Hatake Kakashi_**

**_Age: 26_**

**_Birthday: September 15_**

**_Hair: Silver/Gray_**

**_Eyes: Dark gray/Sharingan_**

**_Height: 181 cm_**

**_..._**

**_Senju Tobirama_**

**_Age: 13_**

**_Birthday: February 18_**

**_Hair: Pale silver_**

**_Eyes: Pale red_**

**_Height: 151.5 cm_**

**_..._**

**_Uzumaki(-Namikaze) Nagisa_**

**_Age: 12_**

**_Birthday: October 10_**

**_Hair: Gold-blonde_**

**_Eyes: Blue_**

**_Height: 140 cm_**

**_..._**

**_Uchiha Sasuke_**

**_Age: 13_**

**_Birthday: July 23_**

**_Hair: Black_**

**_Eyes: Black_**

**_Height: 153.2 cm_**


	4. Dissension

**Life of a Ninja: Renascence**

**4\. Dissension**

_**dis·sen·sion /dəˈsen(t)SH(ə)n/**_

_**noun**_

_**disagreement that leads to discord**_

* * *

It was 7 am sharp, when Tobirama and Nagisa entered Training Ground 7, to find that Sasuke had already arrived and had seated himself against one of the three posts in the clearing, seemingly brooding.

Upon their entrance, Sasuke barely glanced at them, and Tobirama guided his companion towards the small river, where they sat down, Nagisa immediately pulled out a scroll from her pouch and unsealed it.

One poof of smoke later, and there were two bentos sitting innocently on the scroll.

Sasuke paused, sharp eyes flicking between the lunches and his two teammates, a sneer on his face. "Dobe, sensei told us not to eat breakfast."

Nagisa just shot him an overly innocent smile, "Technically, he only suggested we don't eat, because there was a chance we'd throw up." She pointed out.

Tobirama shot the bristling Uchiha a smug smirk, "It'd not our fault you're so incompetent you cannot look underneath the underneath."

Sasuke snarled at them.

Nagisa took pity on the dark boy, shoveling part of her food onto the lid. Tobirama's hand shot out, catching her wrist.

"You need the nutrients." The silver haired boy pointed out, before adding part of his own meal. Nagisa shot him a shining smile, lighting up before sliding the food towards Sasuke.

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed into a suspicious glare. "I don't want your pity." He snapped, Nagisa drew back, looking hurt, and Tobirama glowered at him.

"Unthankful brat." Tobirama growled, "Don't bother with the Uchiha, Nagi."

Nagisa hesitated, before drawing back, eyes downwards.

Tobirama sighed, tugging gently on the blonde's pigtail, "Too kind for your own good."

-((-))-

Kakashi watched his possible team through a single narrowed gray eye. The Senju, and sensei's daughter (more so in the blonde's case) were making an effort to try and get to know the Uchiha, but the brat continued to shoot them down, rudely stating he didn't want nor need them.

He frowned as he watched Nagisa scuttle back beside her silver-haired friend, while Senju glowered at the dark-haired brat.

Hunkering down and making himself comfortable, Kakashi prepared himself for the next few hours of sitting and studying the group of children.

-((-))-

Tobirama's eyes flickered towards the tree-line, narrowing slightly in contemplation. He glanced towards Nagisa and jerked his head slightly towards the foliage. Her blue eyes followed his line of sight, before turning back to him and nodding.

They were being watched.

Nagisa's head tilted to the side and her hands began flying through signs, _'Kakashi-sensei is watching us?'_

Tobirama dipped his head, 'Yes. Probably to study our habits. To search for strengths and weaknesses' He had done the same while training his little brats (not so little anymore - he had to remind himself - they're sixty now) after all; making it seem like he was late, while in reality he had been watching how they interacted, how they trained, among other things.

Nagisa's eyes narrowed slightly, nose scrunching cutely as she thought._ 'What should we do?'_

_'Run through simple katas, through him off anything he may have picked up, don't show off.'_

Nagisa nodded her consent before bounding to her feet, making her way to one of the training posts and began to run through the begin katas of Harikēn no ken, one of the Uzumaki clan's many taijutsu styles.

-((-2 HOURS LATER-))-

Nagisa and Tobirama had just sat down to take a breather when Kakashi arrived in a dramatic poof of smoke.

"Yo!"

"You're late." Sasuke snarled, dark eyes narrowed into a dirty glare.

Kakashi eye-smiled, not at all perturbed by the adolescent boy's pathetic glare; he'd seen scarier. "Well, you see... I got lost on the path of life."

"Oh, tell me about it." Nagisa said, eyes sparkling mischievously, "That road has so many twists and turns I'm surprised it's not a roller coaster."

Tobirama decided to play along, if only to annoy the Uchiha-brat. "Did you run into any black cats, by chance?" He asked innocently, lips twisting into a mocking smirk when Sasuke glowered at him.

The Hatake snorted in amusement, before clapping his hands together, "Now, onto business," all three children straightened. "You see these bells?" He pulled his hand out of his pocket, dangling the two silver bells in front of him for emphasis. "You have an hour to try to take them from me. The one who doesn't retrieve a bell will be tied to a post, while the rest of us eat lunch in front of you - "

The sound of a stomach grumbling interrupted the Jonin, and three pairs of eyes turned to the only dark-haired one in their midst.

"Ho?" A rather cruel smirk twist Kakashi's lips under his mask - brat got his just desserts - "Did someone not eat breakfast?"

Sasuke sniffed imperiously, "You told us not to._ I_ was following orders, unlike the dobe."

Nagisa and Tobirama both glared, looking moments away from committing teammate-homicide.

"He only suggested we don't eat breakfast, if we didn't want to throw up." Nagisa reminded him, arms crossed over her chest and blue eyes flashing angrily while Tobirama radiated cold fury, his pale red eyes frosty.

Kakashi nearly sighed, he could cut the tension between these kids with a kunai. "Tobirama and Nagisa are correct. I never _ordered_ you not to eat; something you must know as a ninja is 'look underneath the underneath'. I have no need for mindless tools." His single eye roved Team 7. "As I was saying... The one who doesn't succeed in retrieving a bell... will be sent back to the academy for another year."

He watched the childrens' reactions to the news. Nagisa had immediately looked to her silver-haired companion, head tilted to the side as her hand flew through signs he knew the ANBU had used five years ago -_where did these kids learn that?_-, in which Tobirama promptly replied in his own.

_'He's shitting us.'_ Nagisa signed, looking between her teammates and their sensei.

_'He is, there is no such thing as a three member genin squad.'_ Tobirama studied him for a moment before continuing._ 'The only time that happens is when one member either dies or is promoted.'_

_Smart kids,_ Kakashi noted in approval.

Sasuke, on the other hand; his eyes had narrowed and he glared at his two teammates, before staring hungrily at the silver bells, body angling away from the other two.

_This one fell for it._ Kakashi sweat dropped, for the so-called 'almighty' Uchiha, the kid wasn't very good at looking underneath the underneath.

At all.

Then Sasuke was moving, faster than most genin but slow enough for Kakashi to follow, dipping his hand into his kunai pouch, the dark haired boy darted forward, kunai poised for an attack. Kakashi waited, and the moment the Uchiha was close enough, he twisted, one hand grasping Sasuke's wrist, twisting the boy's arm around so the blade was inches away from the boy's own head, while the other tugged on Sasuke's dark hair, pulling him roughly to a stop.

"Maa, someone's impatient." Kakashi drawled, tightening his grip on Sasuke's wrist. "I never said go." He eye-smiled mockingly, "Go,"

Then he promptly vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving three children alone in the clearing.

Nagisa was the first to speak, "We should work-"

"I don't need your help, _dobe_." Sasuke interrupted with a snarl, "You'd only get in the way." He glared at his two so-called teammates, "Stay out of my way." Then he leapt off into the trees to hunt down the silver-haired man.

With a sigh, Nagisa shrugged, "I tried."

"He's a fool." Tobirama growled.

"Yes, yes he is." Nagisa agreed. "But, sadly, he's our fool. We can't pass this thing without him."

The Senju grunted.

"Should we wait until he screws up to help him out?" Nagisa asked, "Because he's about to make a total fool of himself. He has no hope of getting that bell."

"You're right," Tobirama agreed with a nod. "Hatake will most likely let him touch the bells, get the Uchiha arrogant enough to manipulate into thinking that he won't need our help. He wants us to work together, but he's not going to make it easy for us."

"True," Nagisa nodded. "Sasuke-teme is way to easy to manipulate." She added as an after thought.

Tobirama snorted, before collecting himself and arranging his face into an apathetic mask. "I have a plan." His eyes glimmered with excitement _-this was going to be fun/he hadn't had such a challenge for far too long-_

"You always do." Nagisa pointed out.

"Oh, shush."

* * *

_**TAHDAHH!  
Sorry about the wait for this chapter, it's exam time once again. So it took me a bit to write this out, gomen mina.**_

_**Next chapter will be the rest of the genin exam, sorry about the cliffhanger -.-". Just a quick note that I'm going to be concentrating more on LoaN:R than Shinku Kyofu because of the much more popular demand. So LoaN:R will be updating much faster than Shinku Kyofu. I've also had this little plot bunny hopping around my head for a Katekyo Hitman Reborn!XHarry Potter crossover (not a genderbend this time), so it's been detracting me, making me write down these little notes while I should be concentrating on my exam studying and working on my fanfictions. Haha... -.-""  
**_

_**I've been trying to find a beta to read over my works, so if anyone has one in mind, it would be really helpful!**_

_**... Next Chapter: Synergy - Sasuke will finally pull his head out of his ass for an hour and realize he needs his teammates to pass this exam.**_

_**~TDU**_


	5. Synergy

**Life of a Ninja: Renascence**

_**/syn·er·gy /ˈsinərjē/**_

_**noun**_

_**the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.**_

* * *

Senju Tobirama watched with barely disguised amusement as Hatake weaved through the Uchiha's attacks, mocking the graduate with the grace and ease in which he did so. Allowing the boy's hands to brush the bells, before leaping away.

The foliage rustled, and Tobirama didn't even need to look up when Nagisa joined him in his tree, there was a large, predatory grin on the blonde's whiskered face.

"Traps set, _Taichou~_" Nagisa chirped quietly with a cheeky salute when the white-haired boy groaned silently in exasperation. She glanced at the show in front of them, wincing as their dark-haired teammate was buried up to his neck with a well-placed Headhunter jutsu, and their maybe-sensei jogged back into the woods with a jaunty wave.

"Should- should we help him out?" Nagisa asked,

"No," Tobirama muttered, "leave him. He needs to learn his lesson." At Nagisa's disapproving look, Tobirama continued, "We'll come back for him," He assured her.

-((-))-

Kakashi had expected that Sasuke would attack him on his own, however, he had not expected his other two possible students to lay traps.

He had managed to escape the surprisingly well made traps, with only a missing sleeve and singed clothing. The jonin arrived in the memorial stone clearing to find one Uzumaki Nagisa waiting for him, kunai held in a reverse grip, and a completely blank expression.

The young kunoichi seemed off somehow, but she didn't give him the chance to make any conclusions, or even speak, before she lunged.

He blocked the kunai with one of his own, eye narrowing when he noticed that the weight of her weapon was different than it should be, _what the hell?_ She was fighting as if she was wielding a sword-

Kakashi leaped backwards, and Nagisa followed. He moved his head back to avoid the blonde's attack, and felt the sharp pain that came with being cut centered on his forehead.

_But that shouldn't be possible... I moved out of her kunai's_ _reach- _His eye narrowed.

A small smirk stretched across 'Nagisa's face, "I'm not surprised you figured out so quickly," That was not Nagisa's voice, and her form shimmered before seeming to melt.

The body grew taller, the face became more masculine and pale, the long golden hair shortened and turned silver, and the large blue eyes narrowed and changed to a pale red.

"Impressive," Kakashi said, wiping the blood from his brow.

Standing in front of him, katana held at his side, was Senju Tobirama. "Nagi's henge seal is still a work in progress."

Kakashi raised a brow, "I've never heard of a henge seal."

"And you wouldn't have," Tobirama drawled, "it is Nagisa's invention."

An unseen grin stretched across the Hatake's masked face, "Even more impressive." The Senju smirked, and Kakashi ducked under a volley of kunai that came from behind. He spun, foot lashing out and connecting with a leaping Nagisa's stomach.

_Poof!_

The clone dispelled, and when Kakashi waved the smoke away, he was alone in the clearing. Glancing around, the silver-haired cyclops hummed, "_Impressive_. I might actually have a worthwhile team this year."

-((-))-

"That was fun," Nagisa said brightly as she and Tobirama bound through the trees towards their dark-haired teammate. Her silver-haired partner smirked slightly,

"Hatake-san is quite impressive." Tobirama agreed, "He is much more intelligent than he leads others to believe."

"He's not an A-Rank threat for nothing." Nagisa added, "He has the potential to become S-Rank. It's not everyday you find someone graduating the Academy at five, a chunin at six, and a jounin at twelve. He did all of that _before _he got that sharingan. Don't forget he was also ANBU from fourteen to twenty when Jiji all but kicked him out."

Tobirama couldn't stop the chuckle that slipped past him, "I'm not even going to ask _where _you get all your information from."

The blonde grinned cheekily.

Sasuke was glaring daggers at them when his two teammates leapt from the trees, and landed in front of him. At the sight of the Uchiha's 'decapitated' head sticking out of the ground, Nagisa released a snort of amusement, before clapping a hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles.

"Get me out of here, and I _might _not kill you." The dark haired boy snarled as his blonde teammate continued to snicker at his predicament.

"You know," Nagisa said with a large grin, "when you say it that way... You can just stay there."

Tobirama sighed as he watched his two teammates bicker back and forth, rather playfully on Nagisa's part as she riled her dark-haired counterpart to the point of 'gunna-fucking-decapitate-you-if-you-don't-stop'.

"Your words wound me-"

"That's enough." Tobirama interrupted, cutting Nagisa off mid-sentence. "We're running out of time." With a simple hand sign, the ground surrounding Sasuke grew damp enough for him to climb out with a little help from Nagisa. The Uchiha glowered as he wiped mud and dirt from his clothing, but he didn't comment. "We have less than thirty minutes to retrieve the bells, we'll need to work together."

Sasuke sneered, "I don't need your help-"

Nagisa poked him in the nose, and he went silent in bafflement. "Shush you." She admonished, blue eyes serious. "Hatake was only leading you on. Making you arrogant by letting you touch the bells. He's an A-Rank Jounin; you serious can't expect that a _freshly graduated genin _could one-up him, did you?"

Sasuke's silence spoke for him, and Tobirama sighed in exasperation.

"_Uchihas_..." The Senju muttered under his breath, before speaking loudly enough for his teammates to hear. "Konoha was built on the premise of _teamwork_. That is what our village is about; no one shinobi can do everything on his or her own. We are the _only_ village who actively advocates teamwork; our genin teams are made to balance the members. Where one is weak, the others are there to cover them." Tobirama lectured, unconsciously slipping into 'Hokage-Mode', his sharp gaze flickered between his two teammates, filtering what he knew about their strengths and weaknesses as plans flew through his mind. He may not be a Nara, but he was a Hokage. "A shinobi is nothing without his or her team."

-((-))-

Kakashi had honestly been surprise when, with ten minutes left until the end of the test, both Tobirama and Sasuke darted from the tree line. The Senju held his katana loosely in his hands as he pulled ahead, the blade moving in a graceful sideways arch towards the jounin's side.

He was already moving, a kunai in hand as he blocked Tobirama's vicious attack. The ringing sound of steel-on-steel resounded through the clearing as sparks leaped from the screeching metal, and Tobirama used the power behind Kakashi's deflection to jump away from the one-eyed jounin, flipping gracefully in the air and landing lightly on the balls of his feet.

This all happened with a few seconds, and in that time frame, Sasuke had been running through hand signs. The moment Tobirama's feet hit the ground, a safe distance from their possible sensei, Sasuke had unleashed a raging ball of fire towards the silver-haired jounin.

Kakashi leaped out of the path of the inferno, but the glint of metal in the corner of his vision made him twist in mid air as an arrow flew past him from behind, and a volley of kunai and shuriken from his front. As his feet touched the ground, he was once again forced to turn out of the path of another arrow as it whistled past him before _plowing_ through a tree.

The jounin blinked in surprise at the whole in the tree a few meters from his, and the arrow stuck in the stone behind it; _that arrow was laced with wind chakra!_

"Impressive."

These kids just kept surprising him, but-

_BRIINGG!_

The shrill sound of the alarm going off caused all motion in the field to cease, and Kakashi turned to the two male genin and gave them an eye-smile. "But it would seem you've run out of time. I have no choice but to f-"

"We passed."

Kakashi blinked as Nagisa shimmered into view beside her teammates, two bells clenched firmly in her hands and a bow and quiver slung over her shoulder. When had-

_The arrows. _They had been aimed at his waist, he hadn't given it much thought at the time but Nagisa must have managed to cut through the string keeping the bells attached to his belt!

Nagisa shot him a grin, as if she knew that he was putting the pieces together, and she tossed the two bells to her male counterparts. "We passed." She repeated.

"Ah... So you did." Kakashi agreed, eye-smiling at his students once more. "Now, which of you is going back to the Academy-"

"No one." Surprisingly enough, it was _Sasuke _who spoke up. The dark haired boy palmed a kunai and easily cut through the silver bell in his hand. "You never said the bells had to be whole." Sasuke stated as he placed one half of the bell in Nagisa's hand. "'_Look underneath the underneath._'"

(_"Uchiha Sasuke is a spoiled, pampered little boy, with a superiority complex the size of the nation. I have no patience to teach a boy who believes he deserves everything he wants, a thinks he has no need for teammates."_) Kakashi stared at the Uchiha in surprise, maybe Sasuke could overcome his arrogance and work with a team.

"The purpose of this test was to see if we could work as a team." Tobirama spoke, drawing their sensei from his thoughts. "The test was never about the bells, you just wanted to pit us against each other."

A small smile grew under his mask, and Kakashi's eyes softened, an almost melancholic air surrounding him. "In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that's true, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." He said, drawing the attention of his students. "A close friend of mine, my _best friend,_ said that to me years ago when I was your age." Kakashi absentmindedly brushed a hand across the cold metal of his hitai-ate, eyes fixated on the KIA Stone. "He died a few hours after tell me those very words; he refused to abandon his teammates to the very end." He turned back to the three children, their young faces peering up at him.

_Team Seven..._ The cursed team number.

He couldn't - _wouldn't_ allow them to turn out like their predecessors. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he allowed what had happened to the Team Sevens before them to happen to these children in front of him.

"Congratulations, Team Seven." Kakashi said, a smile curving his single visible eye. "You pass."

* * *

_**TAHDAH! I bring you the next installment of Life of a Ninja: ****Renascence!**_

_**I finished this a few days ago, but was kind of hesitant to post it after I received my very first flame (which completely crushed what little confidence I had worked up after all the positive feedback for my stories). I mean, seriously, what is the point of flames anyway? All they do is make the author feel horrible about their work and want nothing more than to just stop writing all together.**_

_**Sorry for the wait!**_

_**~Uzu**_


	6. Interlude 1: Crash Course

**5\. Interlude**

**Crash Course**

_**noun **_

_**a brief, intensive course of instruction, as to prepare one quickly for a test. **_

Kakashi studied his three adorable students, and in return three pairs of eyes stared back.

"C'mon Kakashi-sensei!" Nagisa begged, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "You need to actually teach us something! Instead of just making us do D-Ranks!"

"D-Ranks do teach you." Kakashi pointed out cheerfully, and it was obviously not the right thing to say to placate his blonde genin, for Nagisa's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the silver haired jounin was uncomfortably reminded of another Uzumaki, one with crimson hair and violet eyes.

(Kushina-neesan would be proud to know her daughter had inherited her glare and- _oh look_ there was a bit of Minato-sensei's heart-stopping glower. A little more practice and his tiny student would be able to make grown men cower in her presence.)

"While it's true D-ranked mission do teach genin valuable lessons and skills," Tobirama stated _(how cute, the_ _red-eyed boy was sulking)_, coming to stand beside his blond teammate. "The main point of being chosen as a teacher is to _teach_. The students cannot be left to muddle their way through their genin years with only the little information they manage to work out themselves."

"_Exactly!_" Nagisa flailed her arms at both of them pointedly, "What Tobi-kun said!"

Tobirama nodded, arms crossing over his chest, "While this would be fine in most cases, as over ninety percent of genin are children from shinobi clans, you seemed to have forgotten that that is not the case in this situation."

"We're all orphans sensei," Nagisa pointed out, hand on her waist and lower lip poking out. "We don't have a clan to teach us. Everything we know, we either learned at the academy, or taught ourselves."

_Oh shit, the eyes!_

His petite student was staring up at him from under long lashes with big, hopeful blue eyes, and Kakashi knew his firm resolve to _not _give the old crusties on the Council what they wanted crumbled when Nagisa's lip trembled.

And Nagisa knew it too, because with a simple tilt of her head, the sunlight caught her eyes _just right_ to make them sparkle.

Kakashi relented, "Mah mah~ you bring up good points." Sasuke's cough sounded suspiciously like _weakling, _but Kakashi decided to be the bigger person and not make the brat do pushups, instead- "How many of you know how to climb trees?"

**I am so so so so so so sorry about making all of you wait for the next chapter** **that I have yet to provide. So I decided to give you a** **small little** **interlude** **while I'm mulling over how to write this fricking chapter.**

**Enjoy~**


	7. Guidence

**L****ife of a Ninja: Renascence**

_**guid·ance /ˈɡīdəns/**_

_**noun**_

_**advice or information aimed at resolving a problem or difficulty, especially as given by someone in authority.**_

* * *

"_Onyx, in position. I see the target._"

"_Ruby. I read you, target in sight and is heading deeper into the forest._"

"_This is Sapphire. I'm veering around to cut off the flight path. Let's do this thing!_"

The lush green foliage of the thick forest of Konohagakure rushed past as a single small blur shot through the air, two more larger blurs hot on its heels.

A yowl split the air.

"Got 'im!" A female voice cheered triumptetly.

Tobirama landed lightly on the dirt, Sasuke following shortly behind him as Nagisa emerged from the bushes, covered in leaves and twigs with a squirming tabby cat clutched against her chest.

"Good job," Tobirama praised, and Nagisa all but glowed as she bounced over to his side, giving him an affectionate head-butt in thanks. Tobirama ruffled her sunny blonde locks as he lifted a hand to his communicator. "This is Ruby. Agate, do you read me?"

"_Agate here. I read you Ruby, what's the situation?_"

Tobirama ignored Sasuke's vicious swearing when the dark-haired boy got to close to the cat's flailing claws (no, that was not a smirk on his lips. It wasn't.). "Sapphire has procured the target."

"_Identification?"_

"Brown tabby, pink ribbon around its ear. Especially bloodthirsty." Tobirama drawled, watching in sadistic amusement as the cat hissed angrily at Sasuke, who was cradling his blood hand.

"Fucking demon cat." The Uchiha growled under his breath.

"_Language, Onyx~_" Their sensei mocked over the communication channel, and Sasuke moved on from swearing at the cat, to swearing at the cat and their lazy sensei. "_Good job Sapphire._" If anything, Nagisa's smile grew even brighter at Kakashi's praise. "_Alright you three, meet me at the Tower for your reward._"

The trek to the Hokage tower was pretty much eventless (unless you counted the fact that some rabid Uchiha fangirls had noticed them – but that was another story), Kakashi was leaning on the wall outside the Hokage office, book in hand. At the sight of his three students, he tucked the small orange book back into his weapon pouch.

"Good job you three." Their sensei praised, pushing himself off the walls and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Let's go get our payment."

* * *

The Hokage smiled warmly in greeting when the door was pushed open, and even after thirteen years, Tobirama still found looking at his former student, now much older than him, unnerving.

"Team Seven, reporting in, Hokage-sama" Kakashi dipped his head.

"Jiji! Iruka-sensei!" Nagisa greeted brightly as she burst in behind him.

"Good afternoon, Nagisa-chan, Team Seven." Sarutobi smiled and Iruka waved from where he sat a few tables away, "Finished your mission?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kakashi acknowledged.

On cue, Sasuke staggered in, a squirming Tora held securely (and as far away from his face as possible) in his arms.

Sarutobi's eyes shone with amusement, "Ah yes. Iruka, fetch Shijimi-dono if you would?"

Moments later, the walls shook at the force of the door slamming open, followed by the sound of a high-pitched squeal of: "TORA!" Sasuke handed the cat off with no small amount of satisfaction when the cat was immediately squashed against the Daimyō's Wife's ample chest. The woman continued to squeeze the cat half to death as she handed the payment off to an amused Iruka and pranced out the door.

A glance at his teammates showed that Tobirama wasn't the only one finding sick satisfaction in the asphyxiation of the terror cat.

"Well," Sarutobi coughed, "Congratulations Team Seven, in the completion of your thirtieth D-Rank mission." The elderly Hokage shuffled through a few papers. "There's still quite a few hours left in the day, so if you would like to take another mission while you're here..."

A glance at Iruka, and the Academy sensei began listing more D-rank requests. "Yamaguchi-san has asked for a team to look after her son. Kuroba-san needs help weeding his garden, his knees aren't the same as they once were. Haruno-san has asked for a team to run some deliveries around the village. And-"

A mournful wail of "TORA!" echoed through the building, followed by multiple crashes and shrieks of terror.

"-Tora needs to be caught again."

"Actually Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, "I would like to request a C-rank mission."

Tobirama didn't even need to blink before he reached over and clapped a hand over Nagisa's mouth, and it would seem he wasn't the only one with that thought, because Sasuke did the exact same. "SWE-mmpph!"

The two boys glared at each other over their blonde teammate's head.

Sarutobi's eyes shone with amusement. "I see. Iruka, fetch Tazuna-san, please."

Tazuna was an old, drunk bridge builder.

Nagisa crinkled her nose in distaste at the smell of cheap rum drifting off the man leaning on the door as he stared at Team Seven with unfocused eyes.

"You're giving me three brats?" The man slurred, "They don't look like much. A pretty boy, a china doll, and an albino? I didn't pay for this."

Nagisa bristled, and felt Sasuke do the same beside her.

Tobirama's eyes narrowed, "Actually, Tazuna-san. You did."

"My student is correct." Kakashi drawled, "You paid for a C-rank guard, so we're what you're getting. Unless you'd rather pay for a B-rank team."

"Besides! You're lucky to be getting us!" Nagisa frowned, "Sensei's an A-rank ninja! He's super strong!"

"Team Seven is the best of their year, Tazuna-san." Iruka piped up from his place next to the Hokage.

"Fine, fine." Tazuna grumbled, taking another swig from his drink. "Whatever."

"Alright you three," Kakashi clapped his hands together and turned to his students, "We'll meet at the gate in an hour. Dismissed!"

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei!"

* * *

An hour later found the three genin of Team Seven loitering near the large red gates that led beyond the village. For two thirds of the group, it would be their first time beyond those gates, and Nagisa could barely contain her excitement.

Tobirama sighed as he tugged on the ends of the blonde pigtails lightly as the Uzumaki bounced up and down beside him. "Calm."

"Mou, Tobi!" Nagisa pouted, "Aren't you more excited! We're going outside the village!" She took his hands in hers, bouncing excitedly causing the albino's arms to jerk up and down with her.

The Senju shot a longsuffering stare at the faintly amused Sasuke, before a cruel smirk lifted his lips.

The other boy's eyes widened in apprehension.

"I don't believe _Sasuke-kun_'s very excited either."

Nagisa dropped Tobirama's hands, turning and lunching herself at their Uchiha team mate in a flying tackle. Sasuke only just managed to keep his balance, pale cheeks flushing pink as the blond unknowingly pressed her... developing assets... against his chest while she pouted up at with big blue eyes.

Tobirama's grin melted off his face.

Sasuke looked up, caught the expression of Death, and his eyebrows rose. With a challenging smirk, he slowly brought his arms up around the blond.

Tobirama's look turned to that of Imminent Death.

Nagisa was oblivious.

Kakashi looked at the scene he had arrived to, glancing between the glowering Senju, the smug Uchiha, and the oblivious Uzumaki who seemed to have been caught in the middle.

"Are we interrupting something?"

Tazuna snorted around his sake, and three pairs of eyes moved to him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" A heartbeat later, and Kakashi had a child – sized blond leech attached to his leg. "You're actually early!"

The silver – haired jounin chuckled, patting Nagisa on the top of her head awkwardly. "Of course I am! What kind of man do you take me for?"

"A lazy pervert." Sasuke stated bluntly.

Tobirama rolled his eyes, "That's an understatement."

"Ouch." Kakashi placed a hand on his chest, "Your words wound me." He said overdramatically

"You'll live." His two male genin deadpanned,

"So mean."

* * *

**me: is alive**

**H-hey everyone *drags self out of whatever hole it is I died in* how are you this fine evening? The weather is lovely isn't it? Snows finally gone, suns out.**

**Haha haha ha...ha?**

**I've been suffering with severe Writers Block lately, and was working on some random stories that I had started writing and found buried in my laptop to pass time.**

**Well, enjoy the new chapter!**

***adjusts sick mask and hides***


End file.
